Saturday, 22 March 2008
Updates
Tuesday, 19 February 2008
Aspirations.


Friday, 15 February 2008
Fetch Me Her Housecoat!

Another vintage item I'm ever so obsessive with is lingerie and bedwear of the 50's, 60's and 70's. Slips, nightgowns, dressing gowns; I am in love with it all. It is the perfect antidote to recent bedwear which is sloganed to death, or completly sexless (or the severe opposite). It manages to be sexy without being slutty, and pretty without being overtly so.

-meg,xoxo
The Details

Thursday, 14 February 2008
Working Girl
Clothes like these, are in my eyes, completly appropriate for the dreary 9-5. They are sugar sweet in terms of aesthetic, but they still retain an office-appropriate edge. Business casual at its finest!



-meg,xoxo
Monday, 11 February 2008
Vintage?
Vintage has exploded over the last few years (witness 'vintage' sections in charity shops such as Oxfam, the increase in independent vintage sellers on eBAY and in 3d, and a resurgent interest in charity shops, for those in search of the perfect quilted gold-strapped bag). But something caught my eye today in Urban Outfitters.
As you may know, UO have an 'Urban Renewal' section instore, which contains vintage clothing, as well as newly constructed pieces from vintage stock. I have a few things from their vintage section (all on sale and all from the men's department; plaid shirts, 1980's vest tops and my prized turquoise sachel). But I don't ever really look at it; I find it overpriced and opportunistic. However today, they had a large selection of tooled leather bags, all of which I fell in love with (my favourites being a rose pattern and a deer pattern). Tooled leather, for me, evokes a certain kind of aesthetic; hippyish, bohemian, natural. I have a tooled leather belt that I bought for £2 and I adore it. These bags provoked a similar reaction from me. The only problem? Their price.

Friday, 8 February 2008
Aesthetic Inspiration





Thursday, 7 February 2008
Fashion/Politics
The link can be seen quite superficially at first. The 2008 American Presidential election has thrown up all sorts of sartorial questions, some of which are predicatably aimed at Hillary Clinton. This has even made column inches; here (Tim Gunn for Newsweek), here (Jezebel quoting a Reuters article), and here (a Jezebel comparison of Michelle Obama and Jackie Kennedy) No doubt there are countless more articles on the subject. We even know who is voting for who in the designer world. The new Mme.Sarkozy is getting a similar treatment this side of the Atlantic, with this London Times article which sees her style as something to be improved upon. I suppose examining politicians and their spouses' fashion choices is nothing new (Jackie O is still a fashion icon) but it does seem to have reached a new level in these media-saturated times.

What interests me is the political or cultural messages an item of clothing can send out. The most obvious example of this would be the shemagh/keffiyeh craze that seemed to dominate every wannabe hipster~ last year. I really did not have a clue how to take this at all (and neither did some other people.) Was it just as simple as wearing a scarf? Was it culturally or politically insensitive/ignorant? Should it have been treated as another incident of people mindlessly wearing things for 'fashion'? (See also; crufixies when not Catholic.) Well, this hot potato temporily forced Urban Outfitters to stop selling the scarf (however other retailers continued to sell them.) It's not like UO really stopped (The Manchester branch was the first to restart selling them.) I actually recieved one when I was given a free goodie bag for attending a student 15% off event there. I've never worn it, I never intend to.

Wednesday, 6 February 2008
Topshop Lust
today was not a great idea for my willpower, but thankfully the internet allows me to browse.

(L - R; Christopher Kane for Topshop linen dress £120, Unique Splodge print dress £95, Limited Edition stripe blazer £60, Premium platform lace-up boot £95)
The attraction to the Christopher Kane dress is obvious I guess. I was a huge fan of his first collection for Topshop (I have a top and a dress from it), and his collaborations just seem to be improving. I saw a girl in Topshop in the skirt from the new collection and it looked amazing.
The Unique dress is beautiful in person, and I'm a huge sucker for floral print anyway. But I actually already own a vintage dress in a similar pattern, and even if I didn't, £65 is a lot to pay for something I could probably thrift under £10.
The blazer is very Balenciaga-esque and would look great with the floral dress underneath. I do like it a lot but I couldn't persuade myself to part with the money.
However, the same cannot be said for the shoes. They are incredible! The perfect mix of edgy, subversive and slightly minxish. I enjoy the platform very much (despite knowing I'd be in 6" + territory). Anyway, despite their price tag, I may have to indulge, because shoes this great don't come along often. And I will get 10% off (thank you student discount!)
Friday, 1 February 2008
Chloë Sevigny (Or My Girl-Crush Explained)


It It always amazes me how much modelling she does and how great she is as a model. I think this has lead in turn to her more 'fashion-y' reputation. My favourite shoot of hers was in s/s 07's Self Service magazine, titled "I'm very into a kind of circus look right now" which can be seen here.

Yellow looks incredible on her, as do those great boots.

I I I like the deconstruction of this dress. Plus it has pockets! Great boots again, she really knows how to play up the asset that are her legs.

I really adore this; it's playful and fun, although I know it wasn't recieved very well. Look how adorable she is! The pink lip is a really good look for her.

Pockets again! Such a great colour on her, Luella s/s '07. The statement necklace just finishes it off.

And finally, the photograph that started my Chloë-crush. Florals and white peeptoes! I have incredible amounts of love for this outfit.
-meg,xoxo
EDIT; 7/02/2008: According to WWD, Chloë is now designing luggage for Samsonite Black Label!
Thursday, 31 January 2008
Wes Anderson & the use of aesthetic
#1; The Royal Tenenbaums.(Starring Gene Hackman, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anjelica Huston)
Here, my personal favourite has got to be Margot Tenenbaum. The fur coats, vintage dresses, severe eyeliner and constant hairclip were an integral part to her character, and this was made even more obvious in flashbacks which saw the young Margot in the same get-up. Even when she was in the bathtub, that eyeliner didn't let up.
Chas Tenenbaum is always seen in a red adidas tracksuit, the same went for his sons, Ari and Uzi. My favourite Chas moment was at Royal's funeral, where of course, he had an adidas tracksuit on; only it was a more appropriate black.


#2; The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. (Starring Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, Cate Blancett, Anjelica Huston)
This film is harder to identify a certain aesthetic for, being mainly as the film takes place on high seas for 3/4 of the time. However, they may be at sea, but the style certainly isn't. Team Zissou wore powder blue uniforms and red bobble caps, something which the imdb.com tells me was inspired by Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Eleanor Zissou also wears a fantastic orietal print wrap during a intimate conversation with the reporter on deck and constantly makes me jealous with her turquoise necklaces. There is also an Isabella Blow cameo which is not to be missed, and an eel in the film, dubbed the Hermes eel, is patterned after a scarf of the legendary fashion house!


#3; The Darjeeling Limited. (Starring Owen Wilson, Adrian Brody, Jason Schwarzman, Anjelica Huston)
This film is pure gold in terms of aesthetic. The Indian setting lead to its becoming a much brighter film that really 'pops' at the audience. And, then of course, there is the amazing luggage which I am still coveting.
Francis Whitman, the oldest of the three brothers, has recently been involved in a car crash. This means that he spends the majority of the film wearing bandages and padding, which add a melancholy air to the proceedings. He also owns a rather expensive pair of shoes, which get stolen by a young shoe-shine, much to his anger, as they cost $30,000.



And of course the luggage. Oh the luggage. Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton naturally, like the rest of the film's wardrobe, and auctioned off after the film’s completion in the NY store. It's the perfect mix of whimsy and traditional. Yum...I want, I want, I want! When they left it all behind (I know they were shedding their metaphorical baggage but...the luggage!)


